Working biodynamically is a learning process that I improve on every year. One thing’s for sure: the vineyards have changed and the wines have changed.
The Steiner philosophy has been in our family for years now: all of the children went to the Steiner school. The framework of biodynamic farming come from Steiner’s philosophy, so in that sense the seed was already there.
My first year in the vineyards I used chemical products and working with them was taxing. I could feel them affecting my body. I needed to find a solution but I felt that organic was too much of a compromise, so in 2003 I went to a seminar featuring Nicolas Joly (editor’s note: Nicolas is a vigneron who makes great wines in Savennières. He continues to be a seminal voice in biodynamic viticulture, and has written this book on the subject).
I was familiar with the type of wine he was making, and thought they were interesting and unique. I was ready to make a change, but more importantly I needed a change. The seminar was in Bologna; I came home the next day, threw out all my chemicals and started working biodynamically.